Tire-valve cap.



No. 69!,296. Patented Ian. 14, I902.

G. H. F. SCHRADEB.

TIRE VALVE CAP.

(Application filed Apr. 15, 1899.)

(N o M o d a l FIG. 7

I a INVENTOR: m 4 57: 4 Q E By lgz's Aflorneys.

WITNESSES: L

UNITED STATES ATENT OFFICE.

\ GEORGE H. F. SCHRADER, OF NEW YORK, N. Y.

TIRE-VALVE CAP.

SPECIFIGATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 691,296, dated January 14, 1902. Application filed April 1899. Serial No. 713,097. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern.-

a citizenof the United States, residing in the city, county, and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Tire-Valve Gaps and the Like, of which the improvement in the construction of atubular following is a specification.

This invention relates to caps for tire and other valves and is especially adapted to' the caps of bicycle-valves.

Heretofore it has been common to construct bicycle valve-caps with a screw-d river tip pro jecting from the top of the cap, and according to an improved cap invented by me the projecting tip has been formed with a diamet,-

rical recess in its end and a socket opening at the tip end. In use it is found that the screwdriver tip on the cap will strike and tear the wearifig-apparel of the user of a bicycle provided with tip-caps, and with the notched or socketed caps it has been found that dirt mayv enterthe notch and interfere with the use of the tip of the cap as a tool.

My present invention aims to avoid both.

- the tip of a bicycle valve-capadapted to cover or guard the end thereof in such manner that the tip will be incapable of injuring anything it strikes and adapted to exclude the entrance of foreign matter into a socket or notch in the tip. This protector is movable and preferably removable and may be in the form of an elastic cap of soft material, being preferably made to spring on the end of the tip and envelop this end at all points or corners thereof and closing any notches or socket which may exist at the end of the tip. I prefer to construct the cap as a hollow cup-shaped purerubber body.

My invention also provides an improved shape or construction of the cap itself, consisting in forming the cap with an annular conical wall between the end of the tip and the body of the cap, which-wall diverges from the cylindrical end of the tip toward the bodyin the form of a frustum of a cone and serves when the cap is inverted and inserted in the socket of the valve to engage the walls of the socket and guide the tip into concentric relation with the socket.

The invention also provides other details of valve-cap, all of which will be fully hereinafter. set forth.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a side elevation of a tire-valve, showing the preferred form of my improved cap Fig. 2 is a similar View showing the cap in axial section. Fig. 3 is a side elevation of the valve and cap, the valve-shell being partly broken away and the cap being shown as inverted and inserted in the socket of the shell. Fig. 4 is a plan, axial, and bottom plan of the new protecting-cap alone;v and Figf5 is a plan view of the improved valvecap alone.

Referring to the drawings, let A designate a tire-valve shell, B the socket therein, and C the cap therefor. suitable valve-shell. That shown has an ex ternal screw-thread a, engaged by an internal screw-thread b in the open lower end of the cap'C, this cap screwing over the end of the shell when in the closed position. The shell has an internal screw-thread r: in its socket B, in which socket is screwed a plug D, having a screw-driver projection 01. The cap shown is of an improved construction invented by me, in which the cap instead of having a screw-driver point at its outer end has a screw-driver notch E, crossing the end of its tip F, has a socket G opening at the end of this tip, is tubular from end to end, and has an internal cup-shaped disk H, and a similarly-formed internal packing-washer I. The

washer I is pressed on the end of the shell whenthecap C is applied thereto, independent rotation of the cap relatively to the washer being permitted by the aniifriction-disk H. When the cap is removed, it can be inverted and its tip F inserted into the socket 13 until its notch E engages the projection d of the plug D, whereby the cap can be used to screw out or in the plug. None of the features as thus far described constitute any part of my present invention and any suitable construction may be substituted instead of the con- The shell A may be any struction shown, which latter is taken as a convenient example for illustrating the preferred form of my present improvements.

According to the preferred form of that feature of my present invention which provides a protective cap for the cap 0, I provide a cap J of soft elastic india-rubber adapted to be sprung over and embrace the end of the tip. The cap shown is of cup shape, having a socket 0, formed to receive and fit the end of the tip, substantially cylindrical side wallsf, and the rounded and imperforate top Wall When contracted, it is of slightly smaller internal diameter than the external diameter of the tip. Itslower edges are thinned to facilitate expansion of the open end of its socket sufficiently to easily pass the cap over the tip, and its top wall is thickened to increase the compression exerted by the cap on the tip as the cap is pushed home on the cylindrical wall h of the tip. The, caps J may be made and sold as separate articles of manufacture or they may be applied to the valve-caps and sold therewith.

In use a cap J is sprung overa tip and kept thereon until the tip is to be inverted for use as a tool, in which case the cap is pulled off and is again restored to the tip after use of the latter as a tool ceases. The cap is sufiiciently smooth and soft to avoid all danger of injury to anything which it may strike or come in contact with and provides a hermetic closure for the open end of the tip, absolutely guarding against ingress of dust or moisture. It is so inexpensive that it can be easily replaced if lost or worn out.

According to another feature of improvement I construct the'cap O with a conical exterior wall K, between the cylindrical end h of the tip and the top wall 2' of the. body of the cap. This Wall is in the form of a truncated cone and serves to guide and center the end of the tip in the socket B when the cap is inverted.

According to another feature of improvement I construct the cap 0 as a tubular cap having an inturned end j at each side of the notch E, so that these ends constitute two parallel fiat bearingsurfaces in the shape of segments of a circle and in planes at right angles to the axis of the cap located at each side of the notch E, of which their adjacent walls constitute the sides, as best seen in Fig. 5. Thus the interior of the end of the tip is cylindrical up to its extremity, where its cylindrical walls are terminated by bending in the walls to form the end L, through which end walls the notch E passes, the bottom walls is of this notch being in the shape of arcs of circles and separated to form the intervening socket G, which traverses the tip. This construction gives strength and great utility, improves the appearance of the end of the tip, and cheapens the cost of manufacture of the cap. A a

In usea cap of this construction will be employed as the ordinary cap of this-kind.

It will be seen that my invention provides improvements in tire -valves which can be readily and advantageously availed of, and it will be understood that I do not limit myself to the particular details of construction, arrangement, or combination of features set forth as constituting the preferred form of my present invention, since my present improvements can be employed inwhole or in part according to such details of construction, arrangement, and combination of features as 'the'circumstances or the judgment of those skilled in the art may dictate withoutdeparting from the spirit of my invention.

What I claim is In tire-valve caps, a cap having a body and GEORGE H. F. SOHRADER.

Witnesses: (I

GEORGE H. FRASER, THOMAS F. WALLACE. 

